Harvey's Wallbangers: The 1982 Milwaukee Brewers commemorates a team that captured the hearts and imagination of baseball fans not just in Wisconsin, but around the country. Named for skipper Harvey Kuenn, the home-run slugging club was filled with a memorable cast of characters, future Hall of Famers, and All-Stars: from Robin Yount, Gorman Thomas, Ted Simmons, and Rollie Fingers to Cecil Cooper, Ben Oglivie, Paul Molitor, and Don Sutton. They were a close-knit and resilient group that weathered controversies and slumps to capture the AL East crown on the last day of the season, overcome a two-games-to-none deficit to win the best-of-five League Championship Series, and move to within one game of winning the World Series.
This book is the result of the tireless work of more than 40 members of the Society for American Baseball Research. SABR members researched and wrote all of the biographies, game accounts, and essays in this volume.
Introduction and Acknowledgements by Gregory H. Wolf
Bud Selig and Harvey Kuenn, both key members of the 1982 Brewers, are given due respect with their own respective biographies. Additionally, many lesser known players from the 1982 roster, such as Kevin Bass, Rick Schabowski, Doc Medich, Charlie Moore, Pete Vukovich, and Ned Yost are documented. Articles containing information about the 1982 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals are also included.